About Champagne

“The king of drinks and the drink of Kings”, champagne was probably first “invented” by the English in the mid-17^th century, through the addition of various spices, sugar and molasses to still wines imported in barrels from France. But it was the work of French priests, like Dom Pierre Pérignon, bursar of the Benedictine abbey of Hautvillers from 1668 to 1715, that played a large part in developing the procedures that made it possible to produce sparkling wines deliberately and consistently.

Throughout the 18^th century, although Champagne wine was all the rage, champagne production remained limited and unreliable, as growers and merchants struggled to control the production process and the unsuitability of the available bottles. When the pressures produced within the bottles grew too strong, the bottles, which were fragile in those days, simply exploded and huge quantities of the wine were lost, up to 50% of the maturing stocks.

In the 19^th century the production methods were brought under control and the quantities of champagne produced simply sky-rocketed, increasing from 300,000 bottles in 1785 to 6.5 million in 1845 and 30 million by the end of the century. During this period, many of the great champagne houses were founded, including Moët & Chandon, Clicquot, Heidsieck and Roederer. The house of Champagne Jacquesson was founded in 1798, Champagne Drappier in 1808 and Duval-Leroy in 1859.

What is champagne?

So what is “Champagne”? Today the making of champagne is strictly controlled by legislation. To be entitled to be called “Champagne”, the wine must be made from grapes grown in the Champagne region, 31 000 hectares of carefully delimited vineyards in the north-east of France. Only three cultivars are permitted to be used in the making of champagne, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier.

How is champagne made?

The first step in the production of champagne is the making of a dry, still white or rosé wine. The “fizz” is introduced to this wine by a process known as the “méthode champenoise”, whereby the wine undergoes a secondary fermentation in the bottle through the addition of sugar and yeasts. The yeasts act on the added sugar to produce alcohol and carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide is trapped in the bottle, increasing the pressure and imparting to the champagne its famous sparkle. After a period of ageing, the dead yeast cells have to be extracted from the bottle through a process of “riddling” and disgorgement. The bottle is then topped-up with a special liqueur that determines the ultimate “dryness” of the champagne. Finally, the bottle is corked, using only the finest natural cork, muzzled, to keep the cork from popping out and then “collared” and labelled. 

How is Champagne different from South African MCC?

An MCC (Méthode Cap Classique) is a South African sparkling wine made in precisely the same way that champagne is made in France. The production quality of these wines is equal to their French counterparts, but, through geographic and climatic reasons, the French champagnes retain unique and distinctive flavours. The exceptional quality of champagne is essentially due to the very particular qualities of the subsoil, which is made up of layers and layers of chalky sediment. Also, because of its extreme northerly position, the area of Champagne is subject to a very particular range of temperatures, sunshine, rainfall and prevailing winds. These factors combine to produce wines that ripen with full fruit flavours but not excessive levels of sugar, a good natural alcohol content and sustained but not excessive acidity. It is critical to the finesse and natural elegance of champagne for the grapes not to be overripe.